Childhood and Family Research Center
About CENDIF
The Center of Child and Family Research (CENDIF) was founded by Dr. Carlos J. Leighton on March 20, 1984. It began as a response of the situation that Venezuelan childhood lives which requires programs that help improving children and teenagers' quality of life, emphasizing on educational and environmental stimulus that influence their growth and development.
CENDIF's team has worked on several aspects of human development, from parents-children relationships, preschool programs and comprehensive assistance for children and disadvantaged families, among others, with subsidies from national and international institutions such as: Bernard van Leer Foundation of Holland, the Ministry of Education of Venezuela, the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research of Venezuela (CONICIT), the British Council and the British Government.
Nowadays, CENDIF has facilities dedicated to graduate and undergraduate research; data processing and reproduction equipment, and a small documentation center with approximately 2,000 documents focused on Latin America. Furthermore, it welcomes interns from Universidad Metropolitana, Universidad Central of Venezuela and postgraduate students from other colleges.
Our Mission
Research and teaching. Implementation and evaluation of intervention models in the area of human development with special emphasis on highly vulnerable sectors.
Our Vision
To contribute to the study and improvement the quality of life of children, teenagers and families from disadvantaged communities, through research at a national and international level, becoming a high social reference center of Universidad Metropolitana.